Propaganda Propaganda, it can be a powerful tool. The definition of propaganda is "the deliberate spreading of information, rumors, etc." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/propaganda?s=t), and that is exactly what Allies and Nazis used to persuade people to join their side and help them win the war. During World War Two, different means of propaganda in the media influenced people to help a certain side, whether it was by instilling fear into people or by stating that citizens needed to fight for their country. Propaganda is still used today, just in a less extreme measure. Proactive commercials on TV are an example of propaganda by stating that this product will cure you acne and use celebrity’s endorsements to help their cause. Here is how each side of the war used propaganda to get people to believe in their cause. Nazis' Use of Propaganda
A Page Out of a Children's Book
Nazis wanted people to believe they were the heroes, that they were brave, wanted to fight evil, and restore Germany to her former glory. While that is honestly probably what some Nazis thought they were doing, in reality they were slaughtering millions of innocent people just so they could have a "glorious" country. Most posters that contained propaganda had pictures that were adapted from Christian legends and European folklore. Some propaganda was aimed just towards a certain group of non-Jewish, white people. An example would be posters saying "Kinder, Kirche, Kuche" or in English "Children, Church, Kitchen" with a picture of a family of roughly four people looking extremely happy. Posters like these were aimed towards women so they could have a "perfect" family by following those words. Non-Jewish, white women were encouraged to have large families to produce workers and soldiers for the Nazis. Another example of propaganda being aimed towards people were posters encouraging selective breeding so sick, handicapped, and any other minority group other that non-Jewish and white couldn't be produced. There was even propaganda saying that people shouldn't associate or become friends with any other minority group other than their own. Nazis even went as far as making films about these types of things. One of those movies was "Triumph of Will", which showed Hitler bringing Germany back to power. At least, that is what it was supposed to do (Wood). Almost all movies in Germany were about the Nazis being the protagonist and the Jews being terrible people who will kidnap and kill innocent children. Newspapers (in Germany and any other Nazi related country) at the time updated people on what was going on in the front lines and by saying how great the Nazis were. They also showed political cartoons about how bad the Jews were. Some people, who strongly believed in the Nazi cause, actually made children’s books to show that Jews were bad and that Nazis were good. Any religious book was banned or burned along with any other book the Nazis found "unfit" (Nazi Propaganda). Ally Use ofPropaganda
An Example of Ally Propaganda
The Allies (aka the United States of America and other countries who wanted to overthrow the Nazis) also used different means of propaganda to get citizens to join their cause. An example of some famous British propaganda that people today may know is "Keep Calm and Carry On", even though it is usually a parody of this quote now a days. While the Nazis banned most books, the Allis did the opposite. They encouraged reading, saying that reading were the bullets that would win the war. One poster that was used to encourage reading was "Give a M.A.N. (Marines, Army, Navy) a Book.” Most media in America was aimed towards how the Nazis were treating the other minority groups under their control, and how the Allies were trying to save them (Fighting the Fires of War). One man named Ezra Pound, who was an influential poet during the 1900s, wrote a poem on the war. This poem was called "Hugh Selwyn Mauburly" , and in that poem he expressed his anger at the war's slaughter and its failure to affect the course of history (Ezra Pound). Even some cartoons in America were used as propaganda. If you go onto youtube, Disney as multiple cartoons using famous characters such as Donald Duck, Pluto, and Minnie Mouse, to have households help the Ally and American cause. If you click on the link, you can see an example of how housewives were suppose to help the men on the front lines.
Famous Radio Broadcasters Both the Allies and the Nazis used radio as a mean of propaganda, but these people are some of the most notable on both sides. William Joyce, aka "Lord Haw-Haw", broadcasted from Germany to England in order to put down the Allies. Each broadcast he made to them started with "Germany calling. Germany calling." He was originally born in New York, moved to England, and then moved to Germany once he was fired from his job. He constantly teased the Allies. He was tired of treason and excruciated on January 3, 1946 in England (William Joyce). Another "famous radio star" is Mildred Elizabeth Gillars, aka "Axis Sally". That nickname was given to her by the Allies because of her heavy use of propaganda, which also provided them with a few chuckles. She was born and raised in Ohio, moved to Germany, and became an English teacher. She eventually fell in love with a Nazi officer and soon became "Axis Sally". Like William Joyce, she enjoyed messing with the Allies and cheering on the "home team", she did it by broadcasting Ally secrets and playing jazz music. Mildred Gillars was convicted of reason four years after the war ended (that would be 1942), and served twelve years in an American prison. After her release, she moved back to Columbus, Ohio, where she became a school teacher (Axis Sally). As you can see, propaganda was a huge part in World War Two and helped/hurt both sides of the war.
Wood, Angela. "Chapter 2 (Nazi Rule): Nazi Propaganda." Holocaust: The Events and Their Impact on Real People. New York, NY: DK Pub., 2007. 44-45. Print.
Propaganda, it can be a powerful tool. The definition of propaganda is "the deliberate spreading of information, rumors, etc." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/propaganda?s=t), and that is exactly what Allies and Nazis used to persuade people to join their side and help them win the war. During World War Two, different means of propaganda in the media influenced people to help a certain side, whether it was by instilling fear into people or by stating that citizens needed to fight for their country. Propaganda is still used today, just in a less extreme measure. Proactive commercials on TV are an example of propaganda by stating that this product will cure you acne and use celebrity’s endorsements to help their cause. Here is how each side of the war used propaganda to get people to believe in their cause.
Nazis' Use of Propaganda
Ally Use of Propaganda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06_l6V-0MQ&feature=related
Famous Radio Broadcasters
Both the Allies and the Nazis used radio as a mean of propaganda, but these people are some of the most notable on both sides. William Joyce, aka "Lord Haw-Haw", broadcasted from Germany to England in order to put down the Allies. Each broadcast he made to them started with "Germany calling. Germany calling." He was originally born in New York, moved to England, and then moved to Germany once he was fired from his job. He constantly teased the Allies. He was tired of treason and excruciated on January 3, 1946 in England (William Joyce). Another "famous radio star" is Mildred Elizabeth Gillars, aka "Axis Sally". That nickname was given to her by the Allies because of her heavy use of propaganda, which also provided them with a few chuckles. She was born and raised in Ohio, moved to Germany, and became an English teacher. She eventually fell in love with a Nazi officer and soon became "Axis Sally". Like William Joyce, she enjoyed messing with the Allies and cheering on the "home team", she did it by broadcasting Ally secrets and playing jazz music. Mildred Gillars was convicted of reason four years after the war ended (that would be 1942), and served twelve years in an American prison. After her release, she moved back to Columbus, Ohio, where she became a school teacher (Axis Sally).
As you can see, propaganda was a huge part in World War Two and helped/hurt both sides of the war.
Works Citied:
"A Page Out of a Children's Book" http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005274
"An Example of Alli Propaganda." http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/bookburning/war.php
Axelrod, Steven Gould. "Pound, Ezra." World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 5 Sept. 2012.
"Axis Sally." World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 5 Sept. 2012.
"Fighting the Fires of Hate | America at War." Fighting the Fires of Hate | America at War. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2012. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/bookburning/war.php.
"Holocaust History." Nazi Propaganda. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2012. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005274.
"Joyce, William." World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 5 Sept. 2012.
"Propaganda Donald Duck - WW 2" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06_l6V-0MQ&feature=related
Wood, Angela. "Chapter 2 (Nazi Rule): Nazi Propaganda." Holocaust: The Events and Their Impact on Real People. New York, NY: DK Pub., 2007. 44-45. Print.